3/9/21: New outbreaks in Portage schools

Outbreaks: New data from the state shows outbreaks of COVID-19 in two Portage schools.

The Monday report listed 48 new outbreaks in schools and universities throughout Michigan. Two of them are in the Portage Public Schools district.

Portage Central Elementary was already closed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus in February. The state reports that 20 students and staff have been sickened in that outbreak.

Portage Central High School is also experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19. In that case, 24 staff and students have been infected.

Kalamazoo County: New cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the county.

Officials reported 97 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. That pushed the seven day average to 35 cases per day – the highest it’s been since the beginning of February.

Meanwhile, the county reported no new deaths, which drove the week average down to near zero deaths per day.

Hospitalizations in the county are declining. On Monday, the state reported that patient levels at both Kalamazoo hospitals are on the downswing. Bronson Methodist Hospital was treating 12 people, while Ascension Borgess Hospital was treating 15.

Michigan: New infections are also increasing across the state as a whole.

State health officials reported 1,960 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and Monday. That drove the seven day average up slightly to 1,266 new cases per day.

The state also reported four new deaths from the coronavirus, putting the week average at a little over 19 deaths per day.

Hospitalizations are rising again in the state. Officials reported 935 people being treated for COVID-19 on Monday. That’s 89 more people than last Friday.

Vaccines: Michigan has been averaging more than 50,000 vaccinations per day for more than a week now. The number is a symbolic victory for the state, which had been struggling in its vaccination efforts in the first few weeks they were available.

As of Sunday, more than 950,000 people have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine. Another 744,000 have received their first dose. Yet another 3,861 have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose.

In Kalamazoo County, almost 30,000 people have been fully inoculated against the coronavirus. As of Sunday, the county is averaging about 1,300 vaccinations per day.